Notre Dame Fooball: Road Back to the Top Is Long for Irish

Maybe 8-5 was the best thing that could have happened.

It certainly wasn't the ending that anyone wanted, but maybe losing down the stretch to Stanford and Florida State with a very shaky win over Boston College mixed in will do more to properly place expectations for 2012.

During the 2010 season, Notre Dame limped to a 4-5 record including a disastrous home loss to Tulsa and a true beating at the hands of the Naval Academy. On the horizon was No. 14 Utah and a road date with USC (who owned a seven-game winning streak over the Irish).

Bowl eligibility seemed out of the question before Notre Dame's defense awoke, pounding the Utes, Army, USC and Miami to finish the season 8-5.

Add in some late recruiting coups, and suddenly everyone is calling Notre Dame a BCS team.

Expectations were elevated. The fanbase proclaimed a return to glory!

Then the Irish commit 10 turnovers in two games and begin their "coronation" season of 2011 0-2.

What happened?

Did the team under-perform, or were expectations unrealistically high?

The fan in me wants to point to the turnovers, the much more consistent and solid defense, the increased running production and say that the team could have finished the season 10-2! That if Notre Dame doesn't commit five turnovers to USF, five more at Michigan and three more against Florida State, the Irish don't lose those games.

But I would be foolish.

The record is what it is.

And the records over the last half-decade should have prepared us for exactly what we saw.

3-9, 7-6, 6-6, 8-5, 8-5.

32-31 over the last five years is not inspiring. It does not point to an immediate return to greatness. It points to extreme mediocrity.

Over a 10-year span, Notre Dame has had four head coaches, been home for the holidays four times, and amassed a stunning 72-53 record (.576).

The Irish have lost to Syracuse twice, Purdue three times, Boston College four times, BYU, North Carolina, Air Force, Connecticut, Tulsa, South Florida and three times to Navy.

Since the inception of the Bowl Championship Series in the 1998-1999 season, the Irish have appeared three times, dropping a 41-9 nail-biter to Oklahoma State in 2001, falling 34-20 to Ohio State in 2005 and being pasted 41-14 by Louisiana State in 2006.

All depression aside, there is certainly reason to hope.

Brian Kelly has a proven track record and has won at every stop on his coaching resume.

He is building the team the right way, from the inside out, solidifying the offensive and defensive lines before pulling in scores of talented skill players.

Recruiting has been solid in each of Kelly's two full classes, adding talent and filling depth.

The point to remember is that the path back to the top isn't traveled in a single season.

Notre Dame has been mired in mediocrity for such a long time that there has to be a complete cultural renewal in South Bend.

It takes time, and although I expect the Irish to improve upon their 2011 mark in the season to come, it would be foolish to expect 10 wins or a title run in 2012.

The schedule is daunting (Michigan, Michigan State, BYU, Stanford at home, Oklahoma and USC on the road and Miami in a neutral site game), there will be a new starting quarterback and the best offensive weapon in Notre Dame's recent history will be playing on Sundays.

Last season, the hype trumped sanity, expectations ran away from reality and most of us were left wondering how our prediction of nine to 11 wins went wrong.

This season, there will be no rush to anoint Notre Dame "back," predict a BCS bowl or "expect" double-digit wins.

Those wrapped up in Irish lore and Notre Dame legend must stop talking about how "every Irish coach who won a National Championship has done so in their third year," because Brian Kelly will not.

I believe he will win a championship at Notre Dame, but we must have patience.

College football is different, Notre Dame is different and we must understand that it will simply take time.